Technical-economic evaluation of a Combined Heat And Power Solar (CHAPS) generator based on concentrated photovoltaics

Combined Heat And Power Solar (CHAPS) generators are becoming increasingly popular due to the capability of providing, with high overall conversion efficiency, both electrical and thermal power: a feature that makes them very interesting not only for large-scale but also for domestic- and commercial-scale applications. The object of this study is one specific implementation of the CHAPS technology based on concentrated photovoltaics (also reported as CPVT, Concentrated PhotoVoltaics and Thermal). First of all, this paper reports on the state of the art of such concentration-based CHAPS; the specific system under investigation is then described and critically analyzed from a technical point of view. Finally, an economic analysis is performed, demonstrating the viability of such approach.